The May 3 election will ask township residents if they want to be taxed up to 16 years to pay off bonds for a project that proposes extending a high speed internet cable system to every township home.

“The desire of our residents now is stronger than it ever has been to have high quality, economical Internet,” township manager Al Meshkin said

After the network’s construction, the township would then bid out the system’s management to a private company. While noting the final numbers won’t be known until after the bidding process, Meshkin estimated the monthly subscription fee to be in the range of $25 to $40 a month for connection speeds of 100-120 Megabits per second.

The millage’s proponents have embraced the proposed network enthusiastically, touting its expected faster speed and cheaper cost compared to current Internet providers in Laketown Township.

“I give the township a lot of credit for moving ahead with this thing,” Laketown resident Bruce Los said. “I think it will be a great benefit for our community.”

But the project’s detractors are looking at the network with skepticism, questioning whether the township will be able to deliver on its promises for a better, faster, cheaper Internet service — and whether its proposed payment method is fair.

“Taking money from your neighbor for your own desires is wrong,” Laketown resident Mark Rubino wrote to The Sentinel in a letter to the editor, “even if government does the taking for you.”

The project

The vote will ask residents to approve a bond issuance and new tax to pay for the creation of an underground fiber optic cable network throughout the township. Fiber optic cable delivers faster connection speeds than other connecting methods such as DSL or TV cable lines and provides a connection speed that is unaffected by other homes using the system.

The township commissioned a report in December to estimate the costs of a fiber optic network in Laketown. Based on the study conducted by Yates Engineering Services, the township wants to raise $8.68 million for the project.

While the millage rate will change over the next 16 years, the township expects each Laketown home’s average rate over the tax’s life will be roughly 1.66 mills. That means the township will annually charge each home $1.66 per $1,000 of taxable value.

The average Laketown home has a taxable value of $111,127, putting the millage cost at $184.47 a year or $15.37 a month. Over 16 years, the fiber optic network’s total cost for that average home comes out to $2,631.52.

The millage pays only for the network’s creation and for recruiting an ISP to manage it. Hooking up to the system will require the additional monthly subscription fee, which won’t be known until after all the bidding and will vary depending on how many people sign up.

"The goal here is to give you the best, fastest, most reliable Internet at the lowest monthly cost possible," Meshkin said. “I hope the voters approve it. It will be a great system.”

'Better, Faster, Cheaper'

Local fiber optic advocates created a calculator that estimates cost savings for Laketown residents based on that estimated monthly rate. It can be found at hollandfiber.org/laketown.

Randy Van Liere accesses the Internet through HughesNet, a satellite provider. His options for connecting to the web are limited at his house near the south end of the township on Beeline Road. Connection speeds, he said, slow to a crawl during the busy times of day.

Punching his own information into the cost-savings calculator, Van Liere said he expects to save around $2,000 a year — savings that would quickly reimburse him for the millage cost.

“That probably won’t be the exact number,” Van Liere said, noting the calculator is only an estimate. “But, to me, if that figure is even half correct — what savings and what an Internet service!”

A citizen committee supporting the network has adopted the slogan “better, faster, cheaper.” One of the group’s leaders, David Slikkers, sees the network as a boon for Laketown residents, making the township more attractive to the 21st-century economy.

“Many people are home professionals or have jobs that allow them to work from home,” Slikkers said, adding the flexibility only adds to the general quality of life in the township.

He noted medical care services and programs like Social Security are continually moving online.

Having access to high speed, reliable Internet, Slikkers said, “is a great peace of mind for our seniors.”

More information from the pro-network group can be found on its Facebook page, "Laketown Fiber Optic YES."

Risk?

While acknowledging the benefits of a fiber optic network in the township, the project’s detractors are questioning whether the township has adequately vetted it.

“Fast internet is not a basic right or need — but it is a proposal worth looking at,” the Facebook page Laketown Fiber NO posted recently. “The argument against (the project) has nothing to do with change and everything to do with the numerous examples of (government-owned fiber network) failures.”

Government constructed fiber networks have popped up around the country in recent years. Some turned out to be financial disasters, including networks in Monticello, Minn., and in Bristol, Va.

In 2013, Provo, Utah, sold its troubled network to Google for $1, while keeping the city — and therefore taxpayers — on the hook for nearly $40 million of debt.

“Not every (Government Owned Network) fails,” said Michael Santorelli, a director of the New York Law School’s Advanced Communications Law and Policy Institute, in an email, ”but many struggle to deliver promised benefits, which is why it’s important for cities of every size to approach these issues carefully and err on the side of caution in the form of gathering as much information and input as possible.”

Laketown residents opposed to the project are worried that the township is moving too quickly.

“It’s all happened so fast,” said Dick Becker, a resident of Macatawa Hills. He said the millage will cost him more than $712 a year.

“I might as well have all my retirement go to the township,” Becker said, referring also to the conflict between the township and his neighborhood over an expensive water project.

The network’s viability aside, “vote no” advocates have also objected to the project’s payment method. In a letter written to The Sentinel earlier this week, Laketown resident Kathy McCleod pointed out that while the millage costs will vary with taxable value, it builds the same network for everyone.

“There are other ways to fund the project such as a special assessment, where we all share the cost EQUALLY,” McCleod wrote. “Vote NO on May 3 so we can find a fair way of funding.”

Voting on Tuesday

For his part, Los said he doesn't have a problem with the township's timeline for the fiber project.

"I don’t have a concern about the timing," said Los, who is not involved with either advocacy group. "The project, in my mind, is well vetted. It’s a really important thing for us to move ahead on."

Laketown residents living in the Holland and Saugatuck school districts will vote at the township hall at 4338 Beeline Road. Those living in the Hamilton School District vote at the Graafschap Fire Department at 4534 60th Street.